Copperheads - 12 by Joe Nobody Page A

her voice, panic flashing in their eyes. For a moment, Terri was sure they were going to run.
    “Don’t be afraid,” she cooed softly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
    “What do you want?” asked the oldest.
    “Just to talk. I was passing by, enjoying the serene water and wildflowers, and spotted you fishing. I thought I would come over and say hello.”
    The two kids exchanged a look that could only be described as “disbelieving.” The older of the pair then scanned the area behind the strange woman who had magically appeared. He didn’t see any threat.
    “So … are the fish biting?” she asked again, trying to settle the obviously jittery kids.
    “We’ve caught a couple of little ones,” the younger of the two reported.
    “Yeah? What kind?”
    “They are sunfish,” answered the older, still-skeptical boy. “Where did you come from? You’re a gringo, right?”
    “Yes, I roamed over this way from Texas. I’ve never been to Mexico before.”
    Again, the older boy surveyed the area around the woman from Texas, a look of skepticism evident in his expression. “By yourself?”
    Terri didn’t want to lie but knew the truth would cause both of them to flee. “Why do you ask that? Is it dangerous around here? I haven’t seen anybody else for hours.”
    “Yes, Señorita, it is very dangerous here. You should go back to Tejas – right now,” warned one of the youth.
    “You didn’t seem to be very worried about things before I wandered over here. Why is it dangerous for me and not for you?”
    It was clear from both of their faces that Terri was being naive or stupid, or perhaps both. “There are bad men that come through here all the time,” the younger stated. “They won’t bother us because we’re too small…. But you are older … and pretty … and a girl.”
    The larger lad’s eyes opened wide, almost as if he expected mentioning the devil would summon the demons. “Shut up,” he barked at his friend. “You talk too much.”
    Terri decided to change the subject, letting out a low wolf whistle. “Ni-i-ice fishing poles. Where did you get those?” she asked, nodding at the high-end equipment with her head.
    “Our uncle gave them to us,” stated the older boy with pride.
    “Wow, your uncle must like both of you very much. Those look like very expensive reels.”
    “My mom thinks he got them off the ghost boat,” the little one stated.
    “Ghost boat?”
    The older boy shrugged, “That’s what the people in our village call it. There was a big boat stuck on the shore this morning. There weren’t any people onboard, and everyone started calling it a ghost boat.”
    “Where is this boat?” Terri inquired. “One of my friends from Texas is missing her boat.”
    The little one pointed to the south. “It’s still there. Keep walking that direction, and you’ll see it. But watch out for the bad men. They take older people like you, and we never see them again.”
    Trying to look frightened, Terri lowered her voice to a near whisper, “Where do they take them?”
    “We have to go,” snapped the older fisherman. “Come on,” he continued, grabbing his smaller friend by the arm. “We should go home – right now.”
    “Wait,” Terri implored, trying to get them to stay and talk. “Please, don’t leave!”
    Her pleading didn’t do any good. Grabbing their fish and tackle, the two kids scampered south, both of them checking over their shoulders to make sure Terri wasn’t going to follow.
    Helpless, she stood and watched until they had disappeared a few minutes later. She started to turn and jumped with fright when she nearly bumped into her husband.
    “You scared the shit out of me!” she inhaled.
    “I’ve been standing here since they left,” he shrugged, handing back her rifle. “What did you learn?”
    It took Terri two minutes to repeat the conversation, her frustration at not uncovering more information obvious in her tone.
    “It’s looking more and more like